Larry and Norma Gee finally got a preview of the views they’ll enjoy from the condo suite they bought recently in downtown Collingwood.

At a launch event for Admiral Place, developer Steve Assaff hired a lift to hoist potential buyers aloft to experience the panoramic views the condo building and its rooftop garden will offer.

“It takes in the mountains, Georgian Bay, the harbour, the grain elevators. You can’t appreciate that when you’re on the ground,” says Larry Gee.

The celebration was a long time coming for Assaff, and those who backed his plan to construct a mixed-use condo in the historic downtown. Collingwood is best known for its skiing but has evolved into a four-season destination where former big city dwellers are choosing to settle permanently.

Assaff, owner of Charis Developments, is a longtime local resident with extensive experience as a commercial and residential developer in Collingwood, Alliston and Midland. When he bought the site, where a vacant school sat, his plans were embraced by the town’s council, and the project was launched in 2006.

However, that fall brought a municipal election and the condo approval was overturned by the newly elected mayor and council. After a couple of years of protracted fighting and negotiation, Assaff agreed to lower the building to five storeys from six and modify other parts of the plan. But the recession hit and he put everything on hold.

After the election of 2010 brought another change of mayor and council, Assaff found renewed support for the project. Mayor Sandra Cooper, who won by a resounding majority, made Admiral Place one of her campaign promises.

Assaff received approval for a six-storey building in May, a few months after several hundred local supporters of the project staged a public rally.

“There were more than 350 people in the Legion,” says Assaff. “I was born and raised here 59 years ago and don’t recall anything like that happening before. The downtown was crying out for this building. It will support 28,000-square-feet of retail space at grade and there will be 127 families walking around and spending money, which is nothing but good for downtown.”

Now that the way’s been cleared for Admiral Place to proceed, with first occupancies expected in about two years, sales have started for the 127 residential units.

Assaff is philosophical about the six years it took to bring the project to fruition.

“We’ve designed the building three times and I like to think it’s the best design yet,” he says. “We started with 87 suites and now we have 127, because I found out along the way that the marketplace wanted two-bedroom, two-bath suites of 900 to 1,200 square feet, so we made sure we had lots of those.”

The project has been designed by architect Alan Tregebov of YYZed, a former University of Toronto professor, to blend with the surrounding heritage buildings, which house an eclectic mix of shops and cafés. The red brick and limestone facade steps in and out, resembling a series of buildings along the streetscape.

“We’re the only show in town with a steel and concrete building downtown,” says Assaff. “For the type of construction and style of building, we have the marketplace to ourselves.”

Collingwood new-home choices had previously included subdivision houses, chalet-style condos at the foot of Blue Mountain and townhomes by the waterfront on the site of a former shipyard.

Admiral Place is the first urban-style condo, with appointments such as stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and deep terraces. Prices start at $249,000 and go up to $900,000.

Assaff says the delay has made it possible to include features that weren’t in the original plans, including a rooftop amenity area.

“One of the highlights of the Admiral that got me was the rooftop garden,” Norma Gee says. “Many years ago, we lived in a condo in Etobicoke and couldn’t go to the roof. This one will have a barbecue area, great sitting areas and the view is just fabulous.”

The Gees were originally drawn to Collingwood for the skiing and bought a condo and then, 14 years ago, the former Toronto residents bought a detached home on the water, which is 10 minutes by car from Collingwood’s downtown.

But the couple (Larry’s a retired LCBO Toronto president and Norma is a retired teacher) would like to do some travelling.

“We decided a few years ago that we’d like to get out of this house around 2014, because it’s a big property with a lot of work and expense,” says Norma. “We’ve had our eye on this condo for a long time and were very disappointed when it didn’t go forward initially. Now, we’ll be able to walk to all of our activities and doctors.”

“There’s a huge renaissance going on and the downtown has really been reconfigured,” says her husband. “Most of the changes have been quite positive.”

With about 16,000 residents, Collingwood’s tourism industry has blossomed since Intrawest bought a 50-per-cent interest in the Blue Mountain ski resort and built the Village at Blue Mountain. Although the Gees were originally drawn by the slopes, they no longer ski but have found a wealth of other activities to keep them busy.

“Our lifestyle here is so pleasant. It’s just home to us,” says Norma. “It’s a wonderful place to live. There’s golfing, a trail network and a well-developed arts community. There is so much cultural vibrancy here.”

It’s a good thing the Gees have purchased a two-bedroom condo suite, since they get regular family visitors.

“Now that we have quit skiing, our grandsons, who are 27 and 25, are up here every weekend mountain biking on Blue Mountain. We see them almost more than when we lived in Toronto,” she says.

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